Breakfast in Port Phoenix

(I apologize for the length of this post I just was doing some RP writing and decided that perhaps I would share the stories of our fair city's quirky citizenry!)

The sun shined heavily this day. The mists had just finished riding their way out to sea as the intense heat of the summer sun washed away the remnants of one of the constant squalls seen rampaging through the Bay of Storms like some marauding army, flooding everything it could not blow over with the intense winds. Kazyn Phoenixfyre did not care. Growing up in Port Phoenix and learning from his father how to tend to the various needs of its citizenry somehow made the threat of such storms seem like a passing thought.

“She’s got good strong walls” he thought to himself. He often told himself this after a storm like the one that ripped through the bay in the night past. To him this city was not a place, but a family member. He knew it was his job to tend to it, as he rolled out from his bed on the third floor of his lordly manor. He opened the doors out on to the balcony and took a brief survey of the market. A few of the citizens, scurrying about and picking up debris or mopping up water from the nights storm. It was always a big to-do in this city. Merchants cleared the ruckus just as soon as it had occurred to make way for a new day’s worth of travelers – and a new day’s worth of customers!

No one seemed to notice him from below. He looked over to his wife, Jenny, sleeping peacefully in the bed across the way. A brief feeling in his gut struck him, one that he did not experience often – peace. “Maybe I’ll even have time to have a proper breakfast with the missus today”. He thought to himself instantly before clanking was heard down below.

“M’lord! I need to speak with you at once!” he heard in the distance. The recognizable sounds of a newly perturbed Jack Knyfe.

He looked down a moment and then sweared beneath his breath. “Maybe not!”

Minutes later he descended down the stairs and out the front door of the manor on to the street directly facing the city’s central market. The central fountain was flowing and he could already smell the acrid smells of various industries starting up for the morning runs. In a good day the factories and craft mills within the city could construct hundreds if not thousands of crates of food, armor, clothing or furniture and have it shipped by sundown on its way to almost any locale on the mainland. It wasn’t but a few steps out the door that he saw one of the men responsible for that.

“You’re late” Said a tall man, lean and well sculpted through years of work. It was Damien Ragnarok, the Town Foreman. Damien was largely in charge of the logistics and production arms of the city at every facet, and was Kazyn’s go-to man for organizing the city’s mass production.

“Funny thing about being a Baron,” Kazyn Quipped “I thought that in being one it at least afforded me the chance to sleep in from time to time”

“Aye, that you are” Damien replied with a grin. “But you are also a businessman, and businessmen have business hours.” He finished with a wave of his hand. He was waving to the docks. His cad grin became more of a grimace.

Kazyn recognized that face immediately. He did not like that face. “You’re about to tell me something very bad, aren’t you?” he finished with a slight shake of his head. He could hear the incoming footsteps and ragged breath of Jack in the distance.

“Aye. Some damage last night to the fleet. Production is going to take a hit.” Damien responded in his usual blunt but formal manner. Kazyn had always respected him for being straight with him. So many of the foppish nobles and loose lipped merchants he worked with had never mastered that art.

Kazyn’s face simplified to a formation that neither seemed completely concerned or completely at ease. “How bad?” he asked while peaking around the edge of his manor, thinking he might see what the trouble was from here. He didn’t.

“Lusitania and Tigerclaw never made it out before the storm.” Damien responded with a look to a sheet of paper gripped loosely in his hand. “Tigerclaw maintained some damage, Sir Galiwyn is looking it over now. She won’t leave for at least a day. Lusitania left before sunrise.”

“Well that doesn’t sound that bad. What is the problem?” he inquired. Damien was never much for negativity. The Tigerclaw had sustained through two wars and a multitude of storms. Kazyn had no fear she would be lost this time around. Sir Galiwyn was the head of the port’s local Port Authority, and if needed could have a ship drydocked and up for repair in days if required.

“~Kazyn~!” echoed through the near-empty city streets as Kazyn began to walk with Damien now keeping alongside. The voice was unmistakable. It was Jack.

“That would be the problem.” Damien sneered.

Jack Knyfe stirred in front of Kazyn and Damien and began walking backwards to their pace. “Can I please ask why 60 crates of my flax is floating in the harbor?” Jack asked in a manner that was both whimsical and also concerned. He often gave the air of sarcasm, but never to the point of being condescending.

“Should have had the breakfast.” He mumbled to himself.

“Sir?” Jack responded. His eyes demanded an answer. Damien began to speak up but Kazyn was first.

“Uhh… Clerical error?” Kazyn responded with a boyish grin. He could see humor was not working.

“Kazyn, we have shipments of mattresses and clothing due to Paxlair in three days. Tell me my shipment wasn’t ruined.” Jack asked. At the same time, Kazyn looked to Damien. Damien looked back, and surmised the question so prepared the answer.

“The ship’s second deck sustained damage. Lightning strike started a fire but it was put out. The wind that followed dumped several crates into the water before the hole could be sealed.”

“If you could…” Kazyn began to look to Damien once more. “Could you possibly lead with that next time?”
They rounded the corner now. Small plumes of smoke billowed from the wounded Tigerclaw. He could make out the white silhouette of Sir Galiwyn’s uniform in the distance, along with several other local shipwrights and dockworkers scurrying around the docks like bees in a hive. They continued the small talk back and forth for just a few more minutes until they reached the docks. He had zoned out on a conversation – or maybe an argument – between Damien and Jack while eying the dreadlocked hair of Jay Sanless in the distance. He had a feeling this day was going to get more fun very soon.

“What are we going to do? I don’t have stock for this kind of order!” Jack raved at Damien.

“Alright, Alright.” Kazyn responded with a wave of his hands. “I’ll go down and we will open up the reserves. Well get you what you need and restock the rest later. “

“Well, there’s another issue with that.” Damien snipped, cautious but respectful.

“A bigger problem than a hole in my flagship and last night’s import floating in the Bay of Storms?” Kazyn blinked as he responded.

“The Black Bear from Bears Tavern is afloat off the coast. They have a shipment due in and are threatening to forego the import unless they can make it to port before noon. But their mooring rights have them taking up one empty dock - the one the Tigerclaw is sitting in.” Damien responded in a very technical tone of voice, pointing his finger to the ship to further emphasize the point.

Kazyn’s mind cleared for a moment and he felt the dread in his stomach. He remembered the deal being wrote up like it was yesterday. For all his failing memory served, it very well could have been. After a brief sigh he responded “Alright, Damien you take jack and the other tailors down with a few men to the warehouse. Get out enough from the stockpiles to resupply them. I’ll go down to talk to talk to Galiwyn and see what we can do about this mess.”

“I don’t think so!” A voice rang out from the distance. It was Jay Sanless, Port Phoenix’s resident Minister of Commerce.

“You know I must be the only Baron to regularly be told what to do on the face of New Britannia” Kazyn quipped before turning to Jay. “It can really do wonders to a persons morale.”

“You have a meeting with Sir Winfield in 10 minutes to discuss trade agreements in case you’ve forgotten. Missing that will hurt more than just your morale!” Jay snarked as he slowed to a stop and shook Jack and Damien’s hands. They departed that very moment to round up some workers for the warehouse, and Kazyn’s attention turned to Jay. In the blink of an eye it seemed Aijou Sekishin, his longtime friend and the Editor in chief for the local newspaper, appeared as well.

“I’m going to make you people start wearing bells” Kazyn joked as he looked to Jay and AIjou. He stopped for a moment, an idea formulated in his head. “Aijou!”

She blinked in return and looked back to him. “Morning I just wanted to show y—“ the sentence was never finished. Kazyn began to shove her down one of the piers while turning to Jay.
“I will meet Winfield in the golden halls, Aijou can go talk to Galiwyn about fixing this boat” Kazyn replied, proud of his idea.

“What?! I don’t—I’ve never even been on a boat!” she flailed in protest. It was no good, she knew that look.
“its fine, don’t worry! Just plug the hole and get the Black Bear a free dock by noon!” Kazyn said passively as he hurriedly started to follow jay down the road.

“What black bear?! What do I say? What hole?!” Aijou yelled, as Kazyn gained distance.
“That’s the spirit! Youll do fine. Remember, your paycheck is depending on it!” he yelled as he turned around the far corner.

Aijou stood at the docks for a moment and looked to the mess across the water and then to the boat. She turned back in a huff as she started to walk towards Galiwyn’s crew. “IM A REPORTER!!!!”

“Awesome! Great stuff!” Kazyn yelled in the distance, Jay consistently talking through his day to day schedule and appraising him of recent trade negotiations. He took a moment to turn to his window in the distance. He could see the shadows stirring in his window and knew that his wife was up and getting ready for the day. He turned back to look through his list of meetings Jay just handed him over.

Kazyn really missed breakfast...

 

Superb

 

I will wait for more of your Port Phoenix Rp-Storys